The Vélez-Málaga City Council is launching three educational programmes for teenagers on the responsible use of technology, emotional well-being, and diversity. They will be held in schools in the municipality during the first term of the 2026/2027 academic year.
The Department of Social Rights and Equality of the Vélez-Málaga City Council has presented three educational projects aimed at adolescents in the municipality that will take place during the first term of the 2026/2027 academic year. The workshops address the responsible use of new technologies, emotional health, and affective-sexual and gender diversity.
The councillor for Social Rights and Equality, Juan García, explained that these initiatives are now in their fourth consecutive year and were created after identifying issues of bullying, misuse of social media, and emotional difficulties among young people. "We decided to create these workshops to help and, above all, to create safe spaces for these boys and girls in schools," he noted.
The programmes will begin in October and will be held in educational centres in the municipality. The first, 'Re-Conecta', is aimed at students from 2nd to 4th year of Secondary Education and will focus on the positive, safe, and responsible use of the internet and social media. The workshops will be conducted at the Almenara, Miraya del Mar, and CEIP Genaro Rincón schools.
The programme facilitator, Paco Moreno, explained that the goal is to "help the boys and girls in the schools understand a bit about the world of social media, the difficulties they may face in responsible use, and, above all, to equip them with tools." The content includes privacy, digital identity, prevention of cyberbullying, sexting, sextortion, or grooming, as well as phenomena like phubbing or viral challenges.
The second project, 'How are you? Youth and Emotional Health', will run for six months in several schools. It will collaborate with the Valeriana Association, linked to mental health in the Axarquía, and AFENES, a group of families of people with mental health issues. Coordination is provided by the Palante Association, which supplies a psychologist and a social educator.
The person in charge of these workshops, Enrique Quero, emphasised the importance of adolescents learning to manage their emotions: "All emotions are valid and must be expressed," he said, adding the need to provide strategies for doing so assertively. The content covers depression, anxiety, stress, suicide, self-harm behaviour, affection, and healthy relationships.
The third programme, 'Diverse Perspectives', is coordinated by Pedro Peinado and addresses affective-sexual and gender diversity with the aim of breaking myths about the LGTBIQ+ community. The three projects combine prevention, training, and active participation from students.
The councillor summarised the purpose of the initiatives: "We want to help our young people use new technologies correctly, to know and manage their emotions, and to break myths about the LGTBI community." The workshops will be held during the first term of the academic year in educational centres in Vélez-Málaga.
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